NWPM Continuity

Tuesday, Session 1: 8:30 - 10:00
Room 121 (Conference Room)

Facilitated by:

Participants:

Topics/Comments:

Mitch, RCWP: How can we serve TCs and provide interesting events?

Linda, OWP: Redefining continuity, using more open institutes to invite in non-TCs also.

Remember, life intervenes and attendance can vary
How can we move continuity events online? OWP using Ning for Book Club, Teachers as Writers
Lesson chat, book chat, response group chat
Face to face (F2F): Whatever it Takes group (social change in difficult places)
LTL (Leadership group): mixed group, focuses on professional development

Mark, UPWP: Saturday morning sessions, once per month = 8 per year

Mark: "Let's work with the people who are there." Don't beat ourselves up over low attendance.
Saturday Sessions are like the summer institute, mix writing, discussing, reading, etc.
- Saturday Sessions (2nd Saturday of every month): Start w/a loose agenda, lots of writing time (Sacred Writing Time--just provide TCs with opportunities to write! Also, leave time for venting.)
- Participation Sat. Sessions usually between 6-15 participants
- Started by Suzanne Standeford, participants could earn a grad credit hour by attending all four Sat. Sessions in a term.
- Have tried holding Sat. Sessions in other places (Houghton Hancock, Escanaba, etc.). Mobility might help Writing Projects meet the needs of their TCs.

Heather, LMWP: Held an advanced institute next door to this year's summer institute (great modeling!)

Amy, UPWP: Annual writing marathon, 2nd Saturday of October
Used to plan it in detail, now they're more loose
Louisiana TCs wrote an excellent book about writing marathons, how-to and personal perspective. http://www.lulu.com/product/item/im-a-writer-essays-on-the-writing-marathon-and-why-we-write/10979486

Advanced institutes in writing / Writing retreats
OWP has had reading institutes, LTL leadership institutes (understanding is implicit that participants take the work to their classrooms, continue the work, study it together...)
Encourage every cohort to have their own monthly gatherings
OWP: Two retreats--"Whole self literacy"* and "developing a writing life" (project oriented work--bring a project, have lots of time for conferring)
- * Whole self literacy:
  - Yoga & writing
  - Yoga in the morning, nature walks, yoga ed. and implications for us as teachers.
  - Week two: Nourishing ourselves, food--not Eat, Pray, Love but rather Eat, Teach, Breathe
  - We can teach who we are; oneness sustains community; we each possess unique gifts
  - Had a Facebook continuity group to communicate throughout the year, communicate when can't attend meetings...
  - Superhero training academy: What are we good at/value; develop superhero identity out of that
- Monica's ongoing writing group
  - One member brought a new chapter every month, now working on a graphic novel
  - Regular group helps people get over "writer's block" hump; others are depending on you to write, so you write.
  - You come even if you don't write; the group still needs readers (this opens it up, lowers the stakes, and Linda says "it was huge" for helping the group continue.)

Organic, digital world is different than our industrial education model

Look at how much writing is going on in schools that isn't officially recognized by schools
"Engage Me" Youtube clip
"Engage Me! Again..." Youtube clip
Digital storytelling
Holocaust Education Network sponsored Holocaust survivor talk with UPWP. Lots of TCs worked to help organize; we could use that to recruit participants for Writing Project, to develop leadership, to identify leaders who might want to attend national meeting, etc.

Continuity is...

NWPM_2010_Retreat_Continuity